1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device control technique between wireless communication apparatuses which make short distance wireless communications.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, multi-function mobile phones, that is, so-called smartphones, which incorporate not only a telephone function but also a camera function, network browser function, wireless communicate functions, application execution function (for example, a mail function), and the like have been marketed as products. In terms of wireless communication function, the smartphone incorporates a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) communication function, a Bluetooth® communication (to be referred to as “BT communication” hereinafter) function, an IC (Integrated Circuit) card system, and the like in addition to the telephone communication function. With the IC card system of these functions, when another IC card, called a target, gets closer to a device called an initiator which transmits an RF (Radio Frequency) field (magnetic field), the IC card receives a power supply by means of electromagnetic induction, and executes data transfer. As a communication protocol for the IC card system, an NFC (Near Field Communication) has been laid down. On the other hand, a method in which an IC card system specifies and authenticates a device and decides a communication protocol in data transfer between devices including a plurality of communication protocols and a communication of actual large-size data is made by switching (handing over) from the NFC to another protocol that allows high-speed communications such as BT communications is known. An example of literature which discloses such a technique is Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-364145.
When an image held by a mobile terminal such as the aforementioned smartphone is to be printed by an MFP (Multi Function Printer) including a plurality of functions such as a copy function and scan function, an application on the mobile terminal side selects an image to be printed, and specifies an MFP and exchanges authentication keys in another protocol such as BT communications using NFC communications. After that, image data to be printed is sent via WLAN or BT communications after the handover. The MFP analyzes received image data, and prints an image on a medium such as a paper sheet. By applying such system arrangement, the user can obtain printed image data by means of a simple operation.
The MFP is configured to allow a plurality of print settings. In the aforementioned arrangement since the user cannot make detailed print settings, he or she has to set a paper size, paper type, print quality, and the like in advance on the MFP side. No problem may be posed for the user who executes printing under the same print setting condition for each time. However, in order to meet a request to print an image on a large-sized sheet in some cases, a problem that the user has to change settings prior to communications still remains unsolved. Especially, in an environment in which an unspecified number of users use one printer, individual users have different print preferences or print purposes, this problem cannot be ignored.